Crawley player ratings vs Wimbledon: Two 5s and one 8 as errors prove costly in fiery battle

In a miserable first-half, the Reds lost star man Liam Kelly to injury before conceding two sloppy goals. The first one – a Josh Davison header – somehow squeezed under the gloves of Luca Ashby-Hammond after 13 minutes.

Five minutes later, Will Wright lost the ball and the visitors made him pay with Ali Al Hamadi finding the bottom corner with aplomb.

The visitors had the ball in a net for a third time after a corner but it was ruled out with Davison adjudged to have obstructed the keeper in an offside position. Wimbledon’s manager Johnnie Jackson was sent to the stands for his protestations.

The Reds improved in the second half, with substitute Klaidi Lolos seeing a powerful effort saved at full stretch – the hosts’ first shot on target.

Danilo Orsi – who missed Crawley’s best first-half chance with a scuffed effort – had a shot saved by the keeper just before the hour mark.

The Wombles and The Dons were still a threat, though. Ryan Johnson’s header from a corner came off the inside of the post and bounced into the hands of Ashby Hammond.

Joe Lewis became the latest Wimbledon man to see red when the defender fouled Lolos – a second bookable offence.

Crawley used the extra man to their advantage and managed to get one goal back. It was Wright who found the bottom corner on the 83rd minute after brilliant work by Lolos.

Crawley piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser but fell just short – thanks to some brilliant saves by Alex Bass.

Wimbledon, in front of 1,400 visiting fans, extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to five games. They have conceded just nine goals away from home all season.

Here’s how we rated the Crawley players, as they dropped to 14th place in League Two after consecutive home defeats.

Luca Ashby-Hammond – 5: Got a hand to Davison’s header but the ball squirmed in. The Fulham loanee should have saved it, in truth. May have felt he could have done better with the second goal too. The ball was in the back of his net a third time before half-time but the offside flag came to the rescue. Had a better second half. Was quick off his line when he needed to be.

Kellan Gordon – 7: His best work was in the attacking areas. Tripped on the edge of the box after positive run early on – getting a Wimbledon defender booked. Put in some good crosses. Shot a wasteful effort over the bar. Brilliant block in the first-half – put his body on the line.

Dion Conroy – 6: A bit ropey early on but recovered well. Important defensive headers. Booked. Superb tackle on Al Hamadi to keep Crawley in the game at 2-1.

Laurence Maguire – 6: Mostly solid at the back. Helped Crawley recover from terrible first half.

Harry Ransom – 6: Passed the ball well but struggled with Wimbledon’s high press.

Nick Tsaroulla – 7: Great run forward and dangerous cross in opening few minutes of the game. Crawley's biggest threat. Good work in build up to Orsi's chance. Dangerous cross. Fooled the defender with a fake shot before firing in the keeper’s hands.

Liam Kelly – N/A: Down hurt and replaced by Ronan Darcy after just 10 minutes. A big blow and hopefully he won’t be out for too long.

Will Wright – 7: He was largely at fault for the second goal after he lost the ball in the middle of the park.Redeemed himself with a lovely finish to give Crawley hope with eight minutes to go. Denied by a brilliant save in injury-time.

Ben Gladwin – 5: Not his best performance for the club. The captain lost the ball carelessly and it nearly resulted in a third goal before half-time. Booked for taking one for the team. Lacked his usual influential composure. Replaced after 53 minutes.

Danilo Orsi – 6: Barely had a sniff in the first half and snatched at a glorious chance in injury-time. It was a golden opportunity to get back into the game wasted. Shot on target saved in the second half. Linked up play nicely. Didn’t get a connection on a flicked effort in front of goal. Had a shot blocked by a defender as clock counted down.

Adam Campbell – 6: Quiet first half. Nice work in build up to Orsi's chance. Good shot tipped unconvincingly over the bar.

Substitutes:

Ronan Darcy – 6: Some big shoes to fill after Liam Kelly was forced off. Didn’t pull up any trees but no mistakes of note.

Klaidi Lolos – 8: Really good impact on the game. His powerful strike was heading for the top corner before it was saved at full stretch. Silky assist for Will Wright.

Ade Adeyemo – 6: Made himself a nuisance after coming on.

Jack Roles – 6: Went close with a header deep into injury-time.